Flaming Moon
by Myhoniahaka
Summary: A loving mother, a small hut, and a forest just for two. An arranged marriage is the destroyer of all things good. But neither mother nor son can change what his father decided. In six months, Naruto's world will be thrust upside down. His mama was supposed to be with him, assuring him and reminding him. But plans go awry, the wedding is moved forward, and his mama is gone.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

 **Warnings:** Oppression, OOC, minor OC'S, jerks,

 **Authors Note:** I've revised this chapter to make it more realistic. I am so sorry to those who read the previous version. I've made minor edits to chapters two and three also, but nothing as major as chapter one. Again, I am so sorry for changing this chapter so much on you. It still follows the basic plot line as the previous version, and changes nothing in terms of overall plot and characterization. This does not concern any readers who have stumbled upon this story for the first time.

* * *

Naruto furled his trousers between his fingers. His bottom lip had long since ebbed it's bleeding since he stopped biting it. Now, there was only a swollen bruise upon his lips. Normal for anyone in his position, expected even. But he wanted to go down as the submissive that fought back, not as the submissive that bit his lip until it bled.

"How long until we're there?" He asked. Naruto had been staying with a gnarly woman who was more than happy to teach Naruto a few lessons. But being older than the normal age for brainwashing, Naruto wasn't convinced. Still, just because he didn't appreciate those lessons didn't mean he deserved a mouthful of soap.

"So impatient. Never before have I regretted taking in a rueful child as I do now. Thank the Lord you're out of my hands soon enough."

Naruto nibbled his cheek. An immaculate glow settled over the horizon. The sun's fire dimming until darkness shrouded over. He fisted his hands into his pants. If there was anything in this world that could prevent them from taking him, he'd do it. Be it running for his life or taking another. If there was anything, _anything,_ he could do, he'd do it.

The carriage slowed to a stop. Naruto clenched his eyes shut, clawing into his trousers as if death were upon him. He heaved a shuddery breath, preparing himself for the man that would undoubtedly open the door.

Sasuke bailed last week, and Naruto prayed for another bail. For another chance. Whatever unforgivable act he'd done to deserve this fate must've been horrible, for Naruto had never been so shamed and humiliated all in one day.

 _This is the normal life submissives take._

The carriage door opened slowly, as if antagonizing Naruto into thinking whoever stood on the other side wanted as little to do with Naruto as Naruto did with him. But that wasn't the case. _Every_ dominant wanted a submissive to cook their meals and carry out their orders. It was the way the world worked. Naruto could try again and again to have his own mind, but the dominants of the world would banish him from the country and force him into a life of starvation where he'd never be accepted.

Sasuke Uchiha stood on the other side of him. Unlike Naruto, with a swollen lip, bruised eyelids, and pale skin that just screamed stress, Sasuke was standing proudly, dark eyes shrouded in mirth and skin as pale as moonlight. He was everything Naruto wasn't. Royal, proud, prepared, _dominant_. It was a wonder Naruto even tried to put himself together that morning.

Never before had he wanted to hide his face from the world. But in that moment, with their eyes locked together, he wanted to run in shame of what he was.

"Once you identify the body we can leave. A royal carriage will be waiting for us, so I want to rush this." Sasuke said.

Naruto straightened his spine. He may feel and look shameful and unprepared, but acting that way what not how he was raised. He never acted less than what he was, because while the world called him weak, he knew he wasn't, even if sometimes he felt as if he world crumbled down upon him, a reassurance was all it took to force those feelings down and rise like he'd never rise again.

"I'm not rushing this." Naruto said, narrowing his eyes, "this is my mother. I'm allowed to take my time."

Sasuke's brows furrowed and his mouth opened before closing again. He shook his head, as if debating whether to say something or not.

"Right." He said, "follow me."

And because Naruto didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to see his mom, he followed Sasuke into the hospital.

Herbs had never had a pleasant scent, and Naruto scrunched his nose. The hospital was tangy and citrusy. The walls white even though color might ease patient's minds. Doctors scurried past them, pushing them aside and shouted for everyone to move.

Naruto slumped his shoulders, thrusting his hands in his pockets. Sasuke was walking like the prince he was, not an ounce of hesitation in his body language. Naruto shuddered. Was this who he was to marry? A man who acted perfect in every way? And wanted to rush Naruto's visit with his mom?

Sasuke stopped in front of double doors. He turned to face Naruto, and Naruto swore there was remorse in his eyes.

"I was under the impression that we left you uninformed of your mother's condition. Is this true?"

Naruto's stomach flipped. Being in the home of a gnarly woman left little room for anyone to tell him anything. And what they did tell him gave him a small hope that there was a chance. But as time went by, that chance seemed to slip away, and he was determined to make this visit the best one his mom had received thus far.

"They said she was sick." He said.

 _Once you identify the body,_ Sasuke had said. It wasn't possible though. If his mom had died, they would have told him. And as often as sickness was fatal, his mom had never caught anything and died from it. She even managed to dodge the plague as a child. If that wasn't proof enough that sickness never caught her dead, then nothing was.

Sasuke used the wrong words earlier. His mom was waiting for him beyond those doors.

"Sick? Of course they said that." Sasuke raked his hands through his hair. "There's no easy way to say this so I'm going to be blunt. Your mom's dead."

Naruto blinked slowly, shaking his head. "That's impossible." His mom had been waiting for him. The doctors went by the house and told him she was anticipating his visitation. Until now, he'd been unable to get one. There were too many dominants blocking his path to get one earlier, but now that he was finally here… She wasn't… she couldn't be…

"You're wrong." He said. "All you dominants lie…. You want me… you want… just… you're lying. They said she was sick. She can't just be gone. That's impossible. Impossible."

"We need you to identify the body. It's important for—"

"She's not dead!"

His mom, who had been with him through thick and thin, who had been there when no one else was, who had helped him whenever he needed, who had taught him everything he needed to know about surviving as a submissive in a world of dominants, was waiting for him in some unknown room of the hospital. Sasuke, like every other dominant, wanted to see a submissive bow to them, and was willing to lie to get it.

The double doors led to the morgue, and Naruto could walk in there, check the body, and identify it as someone else. But his mouth went dry at the thought, and his breath clogged his throat as tears pricked his eyes. He didn't want to check the body, not if there was a slim chance she was in there.

"She's in another room, right? You can either tell me where she is, or I'll tear this place down searching."

"Naruto—"

"Shut up and tell me where she is."

He heaved in a breath, unable to exhale as he felt his vigor disappearing as if it were never there. He came here dreading the setting sun, because that meant his time was up, yet he'd anticipated this visit, because it had been a month since he saw his mom, and he wanted—needed—to know that she was well before he departed forever.

"I'm sorry. They should have told you."

The doctors said she was sick.

"She's not in there." Naruto said, pointing at the double doors before them. "Show me the body. It won't be her."

He'd be shuffling through a morgue. A room full of corpses. Why did he offer to check the body? His mom was somewhere in this hospital, fighting off sickness and waiting for him to visit. He needed to find her. There was no time to check a nonexistent body.

"Put the mask on and follow me. My father wants us home within the hour."

Naruto swallowed. He was confident his mom was not in there, and yet, Sasuke seemed confident she was. What if she was in there? Lying cold and dead on a table. Sasuke could be bluffing, trying to make Naruto worry. They were going to be married soon. Maybe he wanted to know how Naruto reacted when faced with trial?

If that were the case, Sasuke was a cruel, cruel bastard.

His ears were buzzing and hands shaking. It wasn't her. It wasn't her. It wasn't her. But as Sasuke pulled the sheet on one of the bodies, he saw a lock of red hair. The color was the same was his moms. The shade a deep crimson that no one else had.

He stumbled back, hands covering his mouth as Sasuke revealed the face of the body. His mom.

His mom.

"No. No. No. No. No. No. She can't be… when did she… how long… They said she was sick!"

Her face was matted black and blue. A deep laceration jutted across her forehead. Not sick, but hurt. Was there any illness at all? Or had she been killed and they decided it best to leave him uninformed?

Had she been killed?

"What happened?" He asked.

Sasuke was a dominant. Naruto was his submissive. What concerned Naruto concerned Sasuke, and by the king's law, if a dominant felt their submissive cannot handle certain news or events, then they keep their submissive ignorant until a later date.

It wasn't the doctors that lied, it was Sasuke. He knew what happened to his mom, and ordered the doctors to lie.

"How did she die?"

Sasuke never answered him, but circled around the table and wrapped his arms around Naruto. Naruto narrowed his eyes, pushing against Sasuke. But his vigor had left ages ago, and only a wretched sob escaped.

His mom was dead.

Naruto buried himself into Sasuke's chest, wanted, needing someone to comfort him. Even if it was the man who was responsible for withholding his moms' death from him. It didn't matter who it was, just as long as there was someone.

Sasuke's touch was cold, meaningless, as if he didn't want to be near him, yet felt he had to. They were getting married soon, and their first meeting consisted of death and lies. _Meaningless._ Sasuke was a dominant doing his job for his submissive, not a loved one trying to comfort another. There was nothing in the way Sasuke held him, and there was nothing in the way Naruto reciprocated.

If a relationship was ever to be formed between them, it died the moment Naruto saw his mother's body.


	2. Chapter 2

"Due to your mo—extenuating circumstances, we thought it best if the wedding was moved forward."

Naruto closed his eyes. His stomach had been in a whirlwind since last night, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to bed. But a servant had handed him a summon that told him to head to the main room. Upon getting lost many, many times, he finally found his way there.

His ears hadn't stopped that constant buzz, and for a while, Naruto thought he might have been getting sick. But the thought quickly passed as he remembered that in this palace, sick meant dead, and so long as his heart pumped beneath his chest, Naruto was not sick.

"You'll be married in two months. Until then, you'll spend the days together. Nothing sexual until the wedding. Is this understood?"

Naruto had an insult on his tongue, but Sasuke answered first. "Yes mother."

"Guards will be watching until we trust you won't act irresponsible. I'll see you two at dinner. Do try to get along."

Sasuke shifted closer to Naruto, arm trailing until they barely touched. Spend the day together. Guards watching. They expected him to comply, to obey. To do nothing but listen and act out their wishes. They expected him to wallow and bow and shrink. To pummel his potential into a tiny jar of nothing until Naruto truly felt nothing was left of him.

"You seem better today." Sasuke said.

Naruto glanced at his fiancé. They'd been engaged since birth, and no amount of anger canceled the engagement. Naruto remembered his mom leaving him for hours, coming back in the dead of night sobbing. She stopped disappearing when Naruto turned ten, and became a steady and constant reminder that Naruto had someone to turn to when the world turned against him.

"I assume I don't get to go back to bed." Naruto said.

"It's the middle of the afternoon."

"Anything's better than spending the day with you."

Naruto paced back and forth, twirling his fingers together. His mom was supposed to stay at the palace with him. That was the only good thing that came from this marriage, and it was stolen like the farm when the nobles overran it. He'd never gone longer than a few hours without her, and now she was gone… forever.

Dead.

He clenched his eyes shut, grabbing a fistful of hair and pulling. He knew nothing of the people he resided with now. They had no animals, no crops, no hay, no chickens. Nothing to give him tan lines or keep him busy. Was he supposed to be busy? Or did they expect him to lounge around as servants fed him?

"Are you okay?"

"Will you shut up?"

He wanted his mom.

"We can go on a tour. It'll probably keep your mind off things."

"Fine."

Naruto rubbed his eyes as they walked. He'd spent last night sobbing into a pillow, and that morning was no different. His eyes were swollen red, and face was paler than it was in the carriage the day before. His future parents-in-laws wanted to meet him, and he'd spent the morning listening to political ramblings.

"You sleep well last night?" Sasuke asked.

He was up nearly all night, searching for the neglected scent of dog. The fan whirred, cackling and spinning until Naruto was dizzy. The ceiling seemed to reach forever, and his bed was plush, not soft like hay.

"I'd rather be at home."

"This is your home."

No bows and arrows. No dogs. No hay. No filthy fabric. No stains. Everything was in perfect condition. From the curtains made of silk to the couch covered in plaster. The floor smelt of lemons and bleach, not even a water stain tainting it. It was nothing like his home. Nothing at all.

"My home is a farm, the one you nobles overran. I may live here now, but I will never call it home." He said. His home was a clean mess. His couch was torn and old. A spillage of wine stains reminding him of memories with his mom and three dogs. The counter always had the newest meal on the table, always brought home gutted and ready to cook. The fireplace laughed constantly, a rabbit foot almost always roasting over it.

Sasuke furrowed his brow, lips melting into a scowl. "You're not making this easy. Mother and father have expectations for me about you. I can't meet them if you don't comply"

"Deal with it."

Sasuke paused, moving in front of Naruto, blocking his path forward. Naruto narrowed his eyes, shuffling to the side. This was the tour Sasuke offered? He'd had better one's guided by dogs. Folding his arms across his chest, he glowered at Sasuke, waiting for him to move rather than forcing Sasuke to the side.

"Or you could deal with a change in scenery. You live here now. Your life is changed forever. In two months, you're a noble. We'll be married and my family will be your family. The only one here who has to _deal with anything_ is you."

"You have to deal with me." Naruto said. He'd never make it easy either, especially for Sasuke. If they were going to be married, he'd make it as much of a hell for Sasuke as it was for Naruto. Fugaku and Mikoto too, would have to deal with him, though much less, as they did have the power to banish Naruto.

Sasuke was a dominant, and Naruto was his submissive. His mom had taught Naruto how to act as if he were dominant, even though he was born a submissive. She wanted the Uchiha's to struggle with Naruto, to see that submissives could be independent and were just as capable as dominants. That moment in the hospital was an accident, and he never should've felt shameful for what he was at all.

"Sounds like we both have something to deal with." Naruto said.

Naruto was a stranger to them, just as they were strangers to him. He was brought into this family the day he was born, yet they'd never known each other, and never got the chance to trust the other.

They didn't trust him, just as he didn't trust them. They'd watch him until he proved himself worthy of being left alone. It may never happen, not with his personality, his defiance. He may never get out, all because he refused to act a certain way.

Naruto coiled his fists, shoving them into his pockets. Sasuke stood before him, condescending and questioning. Wondering how Naruto turned out this way. Defiant, unworthy, and wrong. He was everything society said he wasn't, and no one could see past their sad views of what should be, rather than what could be.

"You're my fiancé. I don't need to _deal_ with you." Sasuke said.

"And yet, you do."

Naruto heaved a breath. This was not what he wanted. What his mom wanted. Escape was the best option. Running like the slaves in Sound. Desperate for something other than what they were given. Searching for someone who can see past what society said was right.

But running wasn't logical, because Naruto was a fiancé to a noble family, not a slave to a man who beat him. Treatment here wasn't bad. He'd get food and water, a bed, a bath. Anything he wanted when he wanted it. Hunting was forbidden, he knew that without asking. But he can sneak out at night, knock and arrow into an animal and be on his way back without anyone knowing.

A life without independence, without choices. At some point he'd make a mistake, and be forced to bow and plead. They'd kill him for acting so defiant, kill him for being not what they wanted. They'd force him onto his knees, voice trembling and blood running. An execution for any who couldn't be fixed, the king ordered. Fiancé to a nobleman or not, Naruto wasn't an exception.

"Your mother did a horrid job raising you." Sasuke said. "My parents have expectations for me. I can't make them proud if you act like this."

Naruto ground his teeth into his lip, stomach dancing in whirlwinds. It wasn't true, he knew that. He opened his mouth to retort, to prove him wrong, but nothing but a strangled cry escaped. She raised him right, and she was dead because of it. Dead because of how she grew up. Was that his fate? To die because he was defiant?

He could defend her easily, yet all his arguments could be counted by the basics of society. She was right. She'd always been right. But everyone said she was wrong, and the majority always won. She'd taught him what society isn't, raised him in solitude and explained in vivid detail how his life would play out. People judging him, mocking him, humiliating him, and eventually killing him. Evading the king was the biggest struggle when out in the world as a submissive acting upon himself.

He loved his mom so much. Wanted her back so bad. Yet he couldn't even defend her. Not to his fiancé, not to this family, and not to the world.

"She did her best." He said, choking on the words. She'd done good raising him, yet that was all he could say about her. She taught him so many things. From cooking his own meals to cleaning his own messes. She taught him to hunt, to gut an animal and cook it over a flame. She taught him to fight so he could defend himself. She taught him everything she knew.

"She taught me to take care of myself." He said. "Just because you don't like it doesn't meant it's bad."

"At least try to act submissive. My parent's never have to know."

"Right," Naruto said, "and you can live happily knowing your parents finally appreciate you at my expense."

Sasuke said nothing for the rest of the day. Even as they finished the damnable tour. They went separate ways at sunset, and finally managed to find peace within the silence of his room.

* * *

Naruto dug his fingers in the crook of the closed window, pulling up against the barred nails pinning it closed. His face had gone red, breath heaving with effort. He saw the bolts before he tried to pry it open, yet still pushed against the barred window with little hope of leaving.

Sighing, Naruto puffed out his cheeks and accepted his fate of this damnable room. Another time, maybe. Tomorrow night, once he found a suitable excuse to give the guards outside his door. One that seemed logical enough for him to leave the palace.

He shuffled over to his bed, eyeing it warily. Silk sheltered the mattress, keeping it resilient from stains. He was used to hay. The straw comforted him in a way this mattress never could. With its strands smelling of grass and his dogs constantly eating it. This bed had none of it. No dogs, no hay and no scent.

Just another complaint among many, and it was only the second day.

Flopping onto his stomach, Naruto wondered how his mom managed to survive in this world as she was. The second day of meeting his fiancé and he was ready to collapse. How had she managed ten years of marriage to a man she didn't love?

Another question without an answer.

He wrapped his arms around himself, muffling a sob and clenching the silken fabric he wore. These weren't his clothes, this wasn't his home, and this bed was not hay.

He shook his head, mumbling a goodbye to his dogs, his haystack, and his mom. He would find a way back, but until then, a goodbye was all he had.

His mom was dead.

Bolted windows. Constant guards. Dead mom. A palace. A fiancé. Marriage.

Could he handle it? Everything at once? All the problems stacking on top of one another. He scrubbed his eyes, chest heaving. Sleep wouldn't come tonight, just as it didn't the night before.

Bolted windows. Who in gods named decided to bolt his window?


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto imagined himself on the sandy beach. With his feet digging into the muddied water, Dirt ingrained into his toenails. Wind brushing past him, water sprinkling onto his face. He couldn't swim, so he merely stood by the shore with his ankles swimming in water. It smelt heavily of salt and waste. Here he stood, in the middle of fish waste and dead animals. The water was too murky to see anything, but any who weren't aware of what was in the ocean were living a dream.

Konoha had no ocean. It was only greenery, trees and grass. Lakes. Nothing like the magnificence of ocean waves. He peeled his eyes open, rocking back and forth on the rocking chair Mikoto brought in the day before.

"We need you to behave yourself." She had said, "I understand your mother's dead, and you need time to adjust to the change. But you must behave."

Nausea had been crawling through his stomach enough for people to notice. He picked at his food, smelling something rich and fancy rather than poor and basic, never eating enough to be healthy because he wanted to go home with his mom and eating that food felt like a betrayal to her. Mikoto feared he was contagious, despite to doctor saying otherwise, and she locked him in his room.

He could see how someone thought it was nice here. Three meals a day, a beautiful garden, and his own personal servant. Besides minor paperwork and wedding plans and rehearsals, Naruto didn't need to do anything. Meals were made for him, and dishes were always clean. Everything was done before he even got the chance to do it himself.

Other's may enjoy being pampered. But Naruto lived a life of independence. He always found his own meals, walked hours a day for a casket of fresh water. He found his own entertainment through water and trees and rocks. Coming here had cost him everything. The trees weren't built for climbing, and the lakes never washed him ashore as the ocean did. Wind was dry and crispy. The people were more volatile, often scowling when he spoke his opinion.

The guards outside his door were adamant about keeping him locked in. Last night, Naruto tried to leave, his excuse being fresh air. But they'd expressed their concerns for his "contagious disease." And how he can just "use the balcony." Apparently, a false fear of heights wasn't reason enough for a walk in the gardens.

Naruto huffed. A doctor diagnosed him as not contagious and with nothing to fear. Everyone was just overreacting. So, he was a bit nauseous. Big deal. Everyone got nauseous sometimes. He folded his arms across his chest. They had no reason to keep him locked up in here.

Naruto tapped his foot against the floor, closing his eyes again. A servant knocked at his door. She waited a few seconds, then walked in, key in hand. She was a small girl, tiny, even, barely high enough to reach his chest.

"Lady Mikoto wishes you well and wants to see you. If you're not feeling up to it, you may remain here."

Nausea forgotten, Naruto's head perked up. He'd been locked in for a week now, and this was the first time he was given free reign through the palace. With the door wide open and the servant awaiting his response, Naruto stood. This was the perfect chance to leave. Not the palace, but the room.

The guards would pummel him.

Giving the risk a chance, he jumped out of his rocking chair. Bending his legs so his calves straightened and stretching just enough for his limbs to wake up again. A week in this room gave him more than enough energy, and he needed to spend it.

Rushing out of the room and abandoning the servant girl, Naruto ran past the guards, ignoring their indignant screams. The servant could inform them that Mikoto granted him permission to leave.

Being trapped in a room for a week was by far more restful than he had liked.

Naruto slowed to a steady walk. He'd wandered into the gardens. Smiling, he dropped down. Plants had always been a hobby of his. Watering them, replacing soil, caressing petals. No one took better care of plants than him.

"What're you doing in my garden?"

Though the gardener might say otherwise. Naruto got into a fight with him the day they'd locked him up. At first, Naruto thought they locked him up for getting into a fight, then they clarified that someone noticed his loss of appetite and how he clutched his stomach. They didn't believe it was just nausea, and he was imprisoned into the confines of his room.

"Just loitering. A lot of your plants are dying. Need any help?" Naruto said. The gardener was a buff man. With tan lines along his face and a shovel carried constantly. At first, Naruto thought he was here to destroy the gardens. That was how the fight broke out. It then escalated into a fight for who gets to care for the plants.

"Aren't you supposed to be locked in a tower or something? I really enjoyed you not being here."

"It's a prison, not a tower. And Lady Mikoto released me. Do you know where she is?"

"Not here."

Naruto nodded. The gardener was happy to see Naruto out, and he was brought back into the palace. The excitement left him instantly. He used to be a free man. Now he was an object made only to stand and be pretty.

The family was gathered in the throne room. Naruto didn't recognize most of them, but Fugaku and Mikoto both sat on their thrones. Sasuke and his brother were on either side of their parents. A few other's—all of which looked near identical—loitered around the room. Wine glasses were shared and pastries were served. It seemed Naruto made it in time for dessert. A shame. He loved all kinds of meats, and the lingering smell suggested the familiar meal of lamb.

"Ah, Naruto. We'd begun to think you weren't going to show."

 _I shouldn't have._

The past week gave him time to think, especially since he was left alone for the majority of that time. They told him guards will be watching until he proves himself trustworthy. So, that's what he'd do. Acting submissive shouldn't be too hard. Keeping the act through humiliation however, may prove to be a struggle. But if he wanted any way to get out, then he needed to get those guards off duty.

"I got lost. Can you inform your relatives that locking me in a room proves inefficient when containing whatever it is you think I have? Honestly, I was at more risk of boredom caused death than I was of illness."

He had doubts about the reason, but they continued to assure him it was because he was sick. So, either there was another reason, or they were paranoid folk. He chose to believe they were paranoid. It made the other reason for keeping him imprisoned easier to deal with.

"Inefficient? I found Sasuke quite more relaxing with you gone. You should head back to your room."

Naruto grabbed an offered glass of wine, sipping none before heading away from whomever that man was. Another argument would only bring him trouble. It happened with the gardener, and it would be worse if he fought a relative of his fiancé's.

Most of the tables were filled, but Naruto found an empty one and set his wine down. He folded his arms over the table, resting his head and wishing for something to do.

Parties were supposed to be filled with ale and dancing and singing. Drunken men and woman laughing too hard. Going home red faced and happy because the party they just went to was one of the best. This party, however, was more political than anything else. Mikoto and Fugaku were regal and silent on their thrones. Sasuke and his brother standing proud beside him. Noblemen spoke with hushed tones and whispered rumors of other nobles.

Naruto sighed. One day, he'd teach them what a real party was.

Being the perfect son, Sasuke sat beside Naruto. Regal. Perfect. Sophisticated. Naruto resisted drinking his glass of wine. Sasuke seemed to have downed his, and was just waiting to hand the empty glass to a passing servant.

"You're not still sick, are you?" Sasuke said.

"I wasn't sick in the first place. The plants however… well, you should talk to the gardener."

They knew nothing about each other, and yet were to be married in just a few short weeks. Sasuke was an ass, Naruto already knew that. But surely there was a pinch of sugar in that black heart of his.

"You're acting calm today. Has your isolation lifted your mood?"

Naruto clawed his nails into the table. Was it possible that someone can be black-hearted even to the core? Was there any warmth in this person? Or was Naruto marrying a man with no compassion?

"My mood is none of your business."

Naruto could broach the topic of a cancelled wedding to Fugaku and Mikoto. But they'd thwarted his mom's attempts for the cancellation. It made no sense. What made him so important that Sasuke couldn't marry someone else? Why was he, Naruto Uzumaki, born into poverty and prince of nothing, forced to marry into a noble family? Surely there was someone else more suited for the role of Sasuke Uchiha's husband.

A servant girl sauntered up to them, chin held high and wine bottle in hand. She tilted the bottle and poured Sasuke some more wine. Her feet inched closer to him as she finished, and she made no move to leave. Instead, she knelt low and pressed her face to his ear, ready to whisper something.

Sasuke held up a hand, keeping her at a distance. She took a few steps back, smiling at both of them and said. "Is this your fiancé, my Lord? The servants are talking all kinds of things about him."

Sasuke waved her off, a dismissal. Her eyes melted into disappointment, and she shuffled away.

"Let's get out of here." Sasuke said, standing up. Naruto remained seated. He wasn't going anywhere with a man without a soul. Not without knowing where they were going. And even if he did know, he'd like a guard to be with them, just in case Sasuke's black heart decided it wanted nothing more to do with Naruto.

"Well?" He said, waiting for Naruto, expecting him to blindly follow.

"Where?" Naruto asked.

 _And why?_

"Away from this place."

Naruto's eyes lit. Leave the palace, or the party? Either way, he'd be gone from the political discussions and flabby wine. Normally he'd never even consider it. But as much as he hated exile to his room, he hated exile with every Uchiha in the palace more.

 _What if your mom was wrong?_ A voice whispered. Naruto swallowed, holding his hand in the other. Sasuke was offering to take him away, possibly from the palace altogether. If he tried that on his own, the guards would topple him and drag him back. But with Sasuke, he could leave without fear of death by guards.

"You want to leave the palace, right?"

Slipping away from Sasuke in town, no guards watching because no one knew they'd be gone. It'd be so easy to just abandon Sasuke to leave for a forest. He could finally be free from this family. He'd be hunted down, but he'd be free.

As free as a hunted man can be.

Accepting that his life belonged to someone else was hell-fire on earth. He'd be caught running the moment someone realized he was gone, yet he'd be trapped in a marriage if he stayed. Hunted down or married. Two bad choices. Neither one a risk he wanted to take.

With permission, any place in the world was his. The beach, the forest, the town, even his home. He could go anywhere with Sasuke's permission. This was one such situation. If Naruto left the palace alone, he'd be dragged back. But if he left with Sasuke, he'd be let loose.

"Fine." He said, "but don't expect me to be happy about it."


	4. Chapter 4

There were two kings in the palace.

One was experienced, old, with followers that would die so he could live. The other was young, inexperienced, with conquered land and fearful followers. Naruto watched Fugaku draw his sword, ready to defend his country even to death. But the young king—a redhead who looked eerily familiar—held his hands in surrender, waving the invisible white flag, so Fugaku withdrew his sword.

"I do not welcome you here." Fugaku said, "but my people fear you, and as much as I'd rather see you dead than see my country fall, I do not wish to anger what little loyalties you've gained. If there is something you want, name it, and I will see what negotiations can arise."

The young king quirked his lips. He was nearly as pale as Sasuke, and held himself even higher than him. His robes fell to the ground, barely brushing his heels as he walked. Naruto had heard talk of this new king, of his conquered lands and the death that followed him. A king that had risen from the ashes of nothing and grew into something no one dared to face alone.

"I wish to have an alliance with your country, nothing more, nothing less. I want your protection if my land ever falls into danger, trade too, will be beneficial. I will have sovereignty over my country and you will have sovereignty among yours."

They called him the king of death, for all his travels ended in blood. Naruto stepped back, wary despite the seemingly peaceful intentions. Murderers did not often make themselves known as this one had.

"We will talk somewhere more private. But I want whomever came with you in my sight and disarmed." Fugaku said.

Sasuke did not stand beside Naruto, but Naruto stood beside Sasuke. The past month had revealed how little people expected of Naruto. He was there to support and help Sasuke. He was a petty fiancé for a man who people expected great things from. Often, servants muttered how lucky Naruto was to stand beside Sasuke, but Naruto felt more like an object than a person when they stood together.

Servants erupted in gossip as Fugaku and the young king left the room. Sasuke took Naruto's arm, tugging it the same way he did when he wanted to move onto something else. Naruto kept his gaze on the door the king of death had left in. There was something familiar about that red hair.

He shrugged, craning his neck so his eyes were on Sasuke. "Where do you want to drag me this time?" He asked. Sasuke never did anything to receive disapproval from his parents, so when he heard Mikoto order them to be together from morning to sunset, Sasuke obeyed. A servant knocked on his door early morning, and they met in the gardens, as Naruto suggested. Sasuke worked on his princely duties—which he never shared with Naruto—and Naruto analyzed the pictures on the book of _The History of the Fire Country_ that Fugaku had handed him.

"Town. Mother has another shop to look at."

"Another one?" Naruto scrunched his brows. He'd tried on hundreds of outfits, and Mikoto seemed unhappy with all of them. This would be their fifth clothes trip in two weeks, and it would end like the others. They'd leave empty handed with Mikoto complaining about poor service and incompetent seamstresses. Later that night, Sasuke would complain about his mother's impossible standards to Naruto, and they'd just have another look the next day.

"Unfortunately. We're running late already. I think mother's waiting for us by the door."

"You'd think that we'd get to choose our own wedding outfits. But no, nobles have to have their parents choose for them. Even if that means no one gets an outfit. By the time the wedding rolls around, we'll be wearing rags, and then your mother will have a real fit about our clothes."

"Mother's never been into fashion. I think she's just as tormented by this as us."

"She'd better be. I'd hate to be the only one tortured by wedding plans."

They made their way across the palace, into the courtyard, and finally, meeting Mikoto at the gates. The town was certainly different from the farmhouse Naruto grew up in. There were more people, more foods, and more clothing options. Naruto had liked some of the wedding suits they fitted him with, but Mikoto was the one in control of the money, and refused to buy anything that wasn't to her taste.

Nobles seemed to expect too much of people. Their luxurious life had brought them into high expectations of what people should be, both the dominants and the submissives. Naruto didn't fit her expectations, so she didn't like him much. But it was Fugaku who controlled whom Sasuke married. She got the tough job of planning everything while he chose the groom.

"We are finding your suits today." Mikoto said, "whether it takes an hour or ten, it doesn't matter. We are not having another trip. Naruto, I expect you to be happy with what you get. No complaints this time."

"I was never the complainer, Lady Mikoto."

So, he complained about the clothes being too tight and too fancy. But what did she expect? He came from a farmhouse for God's sake. Everything in this town was alien to him. He'd had his fair share of complaints, but he complimented most things in town, like the food, which had been far more delicious than he'd expected.

"Are you insinuating something?" Mikoto said, "I could have you locked in your chambers with the key at the bottom of the lake."

Sasuke nudged Naruto's ribs, silently telling him to shut up. "Nothing terrible, Lady Mikoto. Just that I don't complain nearly as much as you."

And she had been complaining. Five shopping trips and still there was nothing for them to wear. There were thousands of outfits, and none were to her liking. They were either too fancy or too plain, to tight or too lose. Naruto would have chosen any of them because he didn't care enough about this wedding.

"What Naruto means to say mother, is that we're tired of shopping and he is growing frustrated with all the clothes. I think choosing and outfit today is a great idea." Sasuke said.

"And you complain a lot. It's the whole reason we're still shopping."

Mikoto pursed her lips, scowling at him. It was when her dominant wasn't around that she truly became the monster. Around Fugaku, she was silent, letting him to all the talking as she supported his every word, and every time she tried to give her opinion, he shot her down. Without him she was free to talk and act however she pleased.

It'd been fun to mess with her at first. Naruto acted just as irregular around people as Mikoto did, yet he was never shy about it with Sasuke. But as she saw more of Naruto's monster, she let her own monster become known.

Sasuke was driving up the walls with it, though. He was constantly trying to rehash every word Naruto spoke to his mom.

"You'd best remember I have your key, Naruto. One flick of my hand and you'll never leave your room." Mikoto said.

It'd been fun at first. But now, he feared he'd truly gotten on her bad side.

"You've gotta feed me sometime, don't you? Can't keep the door locked forever."

"If the key's missing, then there is no way to open the door. You'd die before we could save you."

"We're here." Sasuke said. "Both of you, shut up."

Naruto was the first to leave the carriage. He much preferred staying in town than he did the palace. Town smelt more of ale and animal than the palace ever could, and he knew without even spending one night in an inn that the people in town knew how to party. One of these days, he was going to join them in the bar and hopefully, no one would come looking.

If he ever got the chance, that was. Guards watched their every move, and Sasuke was a tricky bastard to lose. He supposed he could just ask, but his pride went too far for such triviality. So, he settled for finding a way out, just as he'd been trying this past month without any luck.

He closed his eyes. Sometimes, he forgot he was supposed to hate these people.

"I don't want to spend ten hours in here. So, split up and find something you like, then show it to me." Mikoto said.

"You're not going to supervise us?" Naruto asked.

She'd always supervised them, which always kept Naruto in the shop rather than out the doors. But if she wanted them to shop by themselves, then there was only Sasuke to lose. He'd be busy searching for the perfect suit though, gazing at different colors and patterns. Naruto only needed a few seconds, and he'd be out those doors.

 _And go where?_ What little he had he left at the palace. He had no money, no clothes, no knives. There was nothing to help him survive in out there. But this may be his only chance, and he could get a job somewhere, make some money and buy bare necessities. If he could just find enough time…

"Like I said, I want this done as soon as possible." Mikoto said. "So, get started."

Mikoto took off at one end of the store, leaving Naruto and Sasuke at the door. They shopped together for a while before Naruto said, "It would be quicker if we looked separately." Sasuke nodded, traveling to another side of the store, leaving Naruto alone for the first time in two weeks.

Naruto stood there, gaze traveling to the doors, and back to Sasuke. Mikoto was out of his eyeshot, so he assumed he was out of hers too. The guards were at the carriage, watching the store and town for any sign of trouble. It would be near impossible to leave without their detection, Naruto mused, but there could be a back door, an emergency exit. Something to get him away from this town.

 _And go where?_

"Anywhere." He muttered.

He travelled across the store, checking out a few suits to seem occupied with shopping while he searched for the backdoors. Sometimes, he glanced back at Sasuke and Mikoto, but they were both busy collecting suits to try on. Naruto smiled. Perhaps, leaving would be easier than he'd originally planned. Now, if only he could find those doors.

"Anything I can help you with?" A woman asked. Naruto gave her a wave, a simple dismissal most nobles seemed to use. It was handy when brushing off someone annoying, yet rude all the same. Still, he used it when he desperately needed some alone time.

At the side of the store, between the white and black suits, was a door. Naruto headed towards it, trying to hide behind the assortment of clothes as Sasuke was currently looking in that section of the store. Only luck could get him through the doors and into town. If all went wrong… hopefully it was Sasuke that caught him, not Mikoto.

Though he'd prefer not to get caught at all. He watched as Sasuke craned his head around the store, furrowing his brows as he didn't see what he was looking for. He abandoned what little suits he'd picked up and walked away.

 _Looking for me, are you? In your face Uchiha! I'm gone._

He crouched below the surface of the rack of clothes and headed for the door. Everyone was out of his eyeshot now, and the doors were so close. Just a little further and he was gone.

"What _are_ you doing?"

Swallowing, Naruto looked up and smiled at Mikoto. He stood from his crouch and brushed his hand across his head. "Just , uh… looking at the suits from a different angle. Definitely worth doing. You get a better sight of what you'd be wearing." He laughed, nervously shifting his fingers across a random suit he found. It was hideous, with blue and white stripes jutting across the chest area, and a collar that would certainly choke him if he wore it. But he had to pretend to be looking at something, else Mikoto's eyes would travel to the doors he'd tried to escape to.

"Follow me. I've got a couple suits for you to try." Naruto nodded, taking one last glance at the backdoor before following her. He was so close, just a couple of feet away, and he still didn't make it. How could he possibly do anything if he couldn't even escape properly? God, he wanted to leave. This whole wedding was making him sloppy. Or maybe he'd never been good at these things in the first place? Being raised as a farm boy certainly didn't give him enough opportunities to learn to evade nobleman.

Mikoto led him to a dressing room, pushing a load of clothes into Naruto's arms. Naruto gazed hatefully into the pile he held. None of them were to Mikoto's standings, and he'd be walking out empty handed again.

"Can't we just wear something from the castle. You have plenty of clothes, most of which have never been used and are seamed well enough for a wedding."

Mikoto snarled. "Absolutely not. Now get changed."

"You don't like any of these." Naruto held up one of the suits she handed him, waving it in the air. Mikoto's lips twitched, as if she thought he was silly. "Come on, Mikoto. Red stripes, plain black, plain blue, white stripes, plain white, _polka dots._ You hate all of these. There's no point in trying any of them on."

"Try them on now or I will put them on you myself."

"It's pointless! We're leaving this store empty handed. There's no point even shopping if you turn down _every single suit_."

"Most suits. Not every suit."

"What's the difference. This will never get done."

Customers had glanced their way, and Naruto wondered if Sasuke was heading to stop their rising voices. Appearances were everything to noblemen. One fight, and rumors spread about everything. One wrong word, and people talk. There was no privacy in this family, because once one person starts talking as if speaking the truth, everyone believed it to be true.

"Try it on anyways. We're not making another trip."

Sasuke never came by to shut Naruto up.

"What's wrong with the clothes in the palace? They seemed fine enough."

"This is a wedding. We need something new."

Naruto stared at the clothes before him. He truly did not want to wear it, but if he couldn't escape the store, then there was no way he was escaping a guarded palace. Without that escape, the wedding was happening, unless he could somehow convince Fugaku to cancel the wedding.

Or convince someone else to convince Fugaku to cancel the wedding.

Did Mikoto want Sasuke to marry? Or did she go along with what Fugaku said?

He knew no one else in the palace. There was Sasuke, Fugaku, and Mikoto. No one else. He could approach Itachi, but Naruto had barely been able to sprout one word in his presence. The other residents—servants and nobles— He knew none of them.

Mikoto was a monster without Fugaku, and a housewife with him. Which one was fake? The housewife or the monster? As it was, Mikoto was the only person that he could hope to convince about a cancelled wedding.

Sasuke might help too, if he didn't want this. But Naruto didn't know if Sasuke was supportive of this marriage or against it. Maybe he should ask about that.

Nodding, he moved into the dressing room. Mikoto needed to be less pissed at him if he were going to convince her to talk to Fugaku. If he could convince her. She may be in full support of this marriage and throw him to the wolves for considering cancelling.

It was after he'd tried on a few suits and found a smile on Mikoto's face that Naruto dared ask the question that had been plaguing him since the day he'd learned he was marrying into nobility.

"Lady Mikoto." He said, stepping out of a stall in a plain white and black suit. "Why am I marrying Sasuke?"

Peasants never marry into nobility. There had been a few rare cases after a kid's parents did something remarkable and nobles married out of appearances. But Naruto wasn't one of those kids. His mom was an ordinary woman who raised an ordinary child.

"Petty questions, dear. Turn around. I need to see all of you." Mikoto said.

Naruto turned around, spreading his arms as Mikoto checked the suit. "It's not petty to ask why I'm marrying someone. Even a lie it better than a refusal to answer."

She pursed her lips, eyes roving over Naruto. Shopping trips were the worst, but it did give Naruto some time to check out the town and see how things were from a perspective outside the castle.

"Because Fugaku said so. Do you need another reason?"

"Why did he say so?"

"I don't know."

Naruto pried for more information, but Mikoto wouldn't talk, or she didn't know. So, he gave up, and contrary to his earlier words, they did finds suits to bring home. The moon was nigh when they returned to the palace. Mikoto took their suits to preserve for the wedding day, and Naruto headed to his room.

Naruto's guards weren't standing by his rom when Naruto got there. But rather, the redheaded king from earlier was sitting by the door. He had his eyes closed, and the sword that sat proudly beside his hip was now laying on the floor.

"Um, hi?" Naruto said. Was that too casual? This was a king, one that often killed. Perhaps he should've greeted him with a hello rather than a hi. He certainly didn't want to test the swords blade if this king took offense.

"Sasuke wants you to come by his room later. But he could wait. I need to talk to you." The king said.

Naruto gave him a pleasant smile. Why was the king of death at his door? There must have been more important matters for a king to attend than waiting for Naruto to return.

"Okay. Can we start off with names? Unless you want to be called king? Do you want to be called king?"


End file.
